About bulk billing
Bulk billing is when a medical practitioner bills Medicare directly for their patient’s medical or allied health service.
In a bulk billing arrangement, both of the following apply:
- the medical practitioner accepts the Medicare benefit as full payment for the service
- the patient assigns their right to a Medicare benefit to the medical practitioner, so Medicare pays the benefit to the medical practitioner.
Bulk billing incentive payments
Medicare pays a bulk billing incentive when a medical practitioner bulk bills an eligible patient for an eligible service. This is to support GPs to bulk bill their patients.
The value of MBS bulk billing incentives depends on the service provided and the location.
Bulk billing incentives are scaled and increase in regional, rural and remote communities, as determined using the Modified Monash Model location classification. Bulk billed items are scaled approximately as follows:
- Modified Monash 2 locations – 150% of value of bulk billed items in metro locations (Modified Monash 1)
- Modified Monash 3-4 locations – 160%
- Modified Monash 5 locations – 170%
- Modified Monash 6 locations – 180%
- Modified Monash 7 locations – 190%
1 November 2025 changes
Bulk billing incentive payments are currently available under the MBS to medical practitioners that bulk bill:
- children under 16 years of age
- patients with a Commonwealth concession card.
From 1 November 2025, all Medicare-eligible patients will be eligible for bulk billing incentives.
Why it is important
Making all Australians eligible for MBS bulk billing incentive payments will support doctors to continue to bulk bill Australians, improving access to general practice care for all Australians.